Dealing with Accounts That Have Been Used Fraudulently
(3 of 6)
Dealing with Accounts That Have Been Used Fraudulently
Close any bank or credit union accounts, credit card accounts, or other accounts that have been affected by identity theft or that have recently been opened in your name. In the case of any creditors, ask that the closures be reported as "account closed at consumer’s request." This type of closure will not reflect negatively on your credit report.
Things To Know
- You must take several steps to deal with fraudulent accounts.
- Request a letter from each company stating that it has closed the disputed accounts.
Ask for a fraud dispute form from the companies where you are closing accounts. Send it to the address given out for billing inquiries. If they do not have a fraud dispute form, you can use a sample letter form such as the one provided by the Federal Trade Commission.
Sending in a fraud dispute form along with an identity theft report filed with your local police department will carry greater convincing power with the accounts.
If you’ve had bank accounts opened fraudulently in your name, call TeleCheck at 1-800-710-9898 or Certegy at 1-800-237-3826. They can flag your account to stop further checks from being written.
Get copies
Request copies of the account application and any transactions that the ID thief perpetrated. Do this in writing, and include an identity theft report, a police report, and proof of your identity. Keep the copies for your records. Also, if there is any identity-theft-related information in your credit report that was provided by businesses, contact the businesses in writing and request that they stop providing it. By law, they are required to stop providing this information after receiving a request from you. The request should be in writing and accompanied by an identity theft report.
A last step
Once the disputes have been resolved, request a letter from each company stating that it has closed the disputed accounts and discharged the fraudulent debts. These letters will come in handy for anyone who claims that you owe money on the accounts.
Debt collectors
Debt collectors may hound you for payment on accounts that thieves opened up in your name. Inform them that you are a victim of ID theft and are therefore not responsible for the bills. Make your notification both in writing and over the phone. In writing, include a copy of a police report. The aim is to convince them beyond doubt that you are telling the truth. The debt collector must then pass this information on to the creditor.
Once you have sent this information in, request information about the debt as well as about the creditor. Ask the debt collector to state in writing that you are not responsible for the debt and that it has been closed. If the debt collector does not cooperate or attempts legal action against you, consider hiring a lawyer to help you.